


Family Reunion

by ExAstrisScientia



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-12 18:08:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10496643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExAstrisScientia/pseuds/ExAstrisScientia
Summary: In her childhood, Jane Trevelyan hardly had any time to see her young cousin before she was sent away. Years later, they meet again, and memories are brought to the surface for both of them.





	1. Summer Ball

Jane shifted in her gown, turning her head to look to her right, where her brothers were struggling to get ready.

Magnus seemed to be managing well, as he was simply adjusting the collar of his shirt. Gabriel, however, was struggling. Their mother was attempting to settle his unruly red hair, and was not having much success. Gabriel did not look particularly pleased with the situation, and seemed much smaller than usual in his formal outfit.

Jane glanced around the corner, into the main room where the guests were filing in one-by-one – or occasionally two-by-two, arms locked.

“Now, Magnus,” her mother spoke. “We have dignitaries visiting from all over. I trust you’ll be on your best behavior.”

Magnus nodded curtly. “Yes, mother, of course,” he groaned jokingly. The grin on his face gave away the fact that he was not nearly as unhappy as he sounded.

Their mother smiled, turning over to face Jane and Gabriel. “And that goes for both of you, as well.”

“Yes, mother,” Jane and Gabriel chorused.

“Will anyone we know be here?” Magnus asked.

“Indeed they will! Your cousins are coming here. And I believe a few of your friends and their families will be here, too.”

Magnus’s face lit up, and so did Gabriel’s. Jane smiled as well. Their cousins were pleasant company, and of course, it would always be nice to see a friend.

“All right, then,” their mother smiled again. “Are we ready to greet the guests?”

All three children nodded in unison.

Their mother motioned for them to enter the main room. Magnus led the way, with Jane following, and then Gabriel.

Jane suddenly remembered her mother’s advice and picked up the side of her gown, holding it up just slightly as she walked. The annual summer balls that her family held, while not being events which she actively looked forward to, were not necessarily unwelcome. There were plenty of people to talk to, to pass the night away.

The many guests in the room turned to greet them, and Jane spotted her father across the room, shaking the hands of people she couldn’t recognize. Her mother left to stand by the doorway, talking to people as they entered.

Jane was brought out of her gaze when she felt a tug on her sleeve. Gabriel was looking at the doorway, wide-eyed. “There they are!” His voice was an excited whisper.

Sure enough, their cousins were just stepping through the doorway. Jane looked them over. There was Galan, the oldest, then Clement, Justin, Theodore, and Claribel.

After they had been greeted, and their parents had left to speak with Jane’s father, the group made their way over to where Jane, Magnus, and Gabriel were standing.

Galan and Magnus immediately launched into conversation. Being the future heads of their respective branches of the family, they had much in common, and Jane knew that they would likely talk for quite a while. Clement and Theodore were engrossed in their own conversation. As for Justin, he seemed most content to wander off by himself.

That left Claribel. She and Gabriel had always gotten along, and Jane quite liked her, as well. The five-year-old girl was very sweet, with her freckled face and long blonde hair. Since both she and Gabriel were the youngest in their families, they could relate well.

“Hello, Claribel,” Gabriel beamed.

“Hello, Gabriel,” Claribel said in reply. “Hello, Jane.”

“Hi,” Jane smiled.

Her mother, having finished greeting the guests, walked over to them. “You can play outside, if you’d like. Just make sure to come back in for dinner.”

“All right,” Gabriel said eagerly. He turned to Claribel. “Do you want to go outside?”

Claribel nodded, and with that, she and Gabriel were off, leaving Jane by herself.

That was fine by her, though. She simply turned to follow her mother, who was greeting a visiting family from Antiva.


	2. The Circle

“Jane, please come out of your room. You have to eat something.”

“No.” Jane could barely form an answer through the pounding of her head and the stinging of her eyes. Tears streamed down onto her bed, where she sat slumped over. She didn’t know how long she had been crying, and she didn’t care.

“Jane, I’ll give you fifteen minutes. Then, you need to come for dinner.”

“All right,” she said finally. As her mother’s footsteps faded, she lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. How dare they take her brother? How dare they treat him like this? Her tears were both of sadness and of rage.

She remembered when Gabriel had come up to her, tears welling in his eyes. “Mama says the Templars took Claribel away from her family.”

“What? Why?”

“Because she has magic,” Gabriel whispered, his voice wavering. “What if they find out about me? Will they take me away too?”

Jane didn’t know what to say. She knew that the truth was that, yes, they probably would. It was something she had been trying not to think about ever since Gabriel had first realized his magic.

“We can’t be sure,” she said.

And then, merely a day or two later, there came the knock on the door. The whole family knew.

Now Jane was lying there, reliving the memory over and over. The Templars standing just outside her door. Gabriel’s little arms wrapped around her as he stood, shaking in the cloak his mother had wrapped around him. “I love you, Jane.”

“I love you too, Gabriel. Be safe. Please.”

“I will.”

She had held it together until he left.

After her fifteen minutes were up, she stood from her bed and left her room, making no effort to hide her tear-stained face.

Magnus, too, was at the table, staring blankly at his food. He sat completely still.

Jane sat across from him. His presence was comforting, because she knew, without words, that he understood.

They didn’t meet each other’s eyes, as they knew it would only bring more tears for the both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Claribel and her brothers (Galan, Clement, Justin, and Theodore) belong to my friend Renée (MiliusPrime).
> 
> Gabriel and Claribel have a lot in common, and despite the fact that they've both had their fair shares of struggles, they're fun to write about!


End file.
